Sustainable thinking

With single-use plastic bags now officially banned in New Zealand, the country is one step closer to a more sustainable future. But there’s still plenty of plastic filling our supermarkets and homes, destined for the landfill. Some brands, however, are taking steps to use more sustainable packaging, including these trailblazers.

PROPER CRISPS

A first for the snack aisle, Proper Crisps has launched two new flavours in bags that can be added to the home compost bin.

The launch is part of the Nelson company’s journey towards longterm sustainable options and is being run to see how Kiwis respond to the change. The new plant-based packaging is New Zealand-made from a blend of GMOfree corn sugars and cellulose.

BOSTOCK CHICKEN

In the meat aisle, there’s more good news. The packaging for all the organic chicken cuts from Hawke’s Bay’s Bostock Brothers is home compostable and plantbased too – made from GM-free corn sources and wood pulp. The Bostock family, also the largest organic apple grower in the country (their chickens roam the orchard), is also trialling compostable stickers for their Braeburn apples. They plan to roll out fully homecompostable stickers next year.

TWIICE CUPS

If you’d rather chow down on the packaging instead of letting your garden worms or the landfill get it, keep an eye out for edible Twiice cups. Handmade and free of preservatives or artificial ingredients, the sturdy no-leak cups are vanilla flavoured so as not to interfere with your coffee. They work as dessert bowls too. A chocolate-lined cup and a gluten-free version are also on the cards.

MEADOW MUSHROOMS

Meanwhile Christchurch’s Meadow Mushrooms is trialling new breathable packaging that’s made from mushrooms – from leftover stalk cuttings. Meadow Mushrooms hope to buy machinery next year that could make enough punnets for use across its whole range.